Machine protection device

ABSTRACT

A treatment or manufacturing installation in a working area, comprising at least one machine having at least one workstation, particularly a beverage bottle treatment or manufacturing machine, which is fixedly disposed on a floor area, and comprising a machine protection device which comprises panes which cover at least the workstation in a supporting frame which comprises vertical pillars and which defines an area.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This disclosure claims the benefit of the filing date of InternationalApplication PCT/EP01/11920, having an international filing date of Oct.16, 2001, which designated the United States of America, and thisdisclosure is the United States national stage of that internationalapplication. This disclosure further claims priority to German patentapplication 200 18 840.2 filed on Nov. 4, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a treatment or manufacturing installation as aclean room-type machine protection device such as for use in beveragebottling operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a bottle treatment machine according to DE 30 29 755 A, thesupporting framework of the machine protection device is placed on themachine frame in order to provide external screening of the workstations which are disposed above the machine frame. Height adjustablepanes, which consist of a transparent plastics material, are disposed inthe areas. Each pane has an upper and lower edge flange which isintegral therewith and which faces inwards, and comprises angle sectionswhich extend vertically on the inner faces of the panes and which servefor stiffening, and to which holding devices are fixed. Rollers on theholding devices fit into tracks defined by the vertical pillars. Thisarrangement represents a conventional design of a machine protectiondevice which is integrated in the installation.

A design for a bottle filling installation is known from the KRONESMagazine, Edition 2/2000, issued by the Executive Board of KRONES AG,D-93068 Neutraubling DE, the assignee of the present invention, at pages42 to 45, according to which the filling installation is additionallydisposed, together with an integrated, completely encapsulated machineprotection device, inside a clean room delimited by a supporting framestructure which comprises internal panes and which is fixed between thefloor area and the ceiling in the working area. The supporting framedelimits a frame area which does not follow the floor area contour ofthe installation but which separates the installation from other,free-standing installation regions in the working area, and which isalso at a considerable distance from the installation so as to preventthe panes from being contaminated by the installation.

Due to its framed panes, seals, fittings and frame structure, a fullyintegrated machine protection device tends to exhibit regions of acutecontamination which can only be kept clean or cleaned with difficulty.Furthermore, it impedes access, of course, to certain parts of the workstations, and restricts the field of view. If the installation isoperated under isolated or clean room conditions, then externalscreening of the clean room area is required despite the encapsulatingmachine protection device, which implies a considerable cost ofconstruction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The underlying object of the present invention is to provide a treatmentor manufacturing installation in a working area, and is also to providea machine protection device, with which the aforementioned disadvantagesare avoided, and with which a machine protection function, and ifnecessary a clean room isolation function also, can be achieved at ajustifiable cost of construction.

In this treatment or manufacturing installation in a working area, thesupporting frame, with the safety glass panes which are anchored in aframeless manner therein, functions both as a machine protection deviceand as a room screen. For this combination of functions, the panes haveto be frameless safety glass panes which comply with the requisitesafety standards and which, by virtue of their pane inner faces whichare exposed as far as the pane edges, can be cleaned without problemsand can be kept clean without problems, in order to comply with hygienerequirements which extend as far as clean room requirements. There is analmost continuous area of safety glass facing the machine, whilst thebulk of the fittings and of the vertical pillars which compriseadditional fittings are disposed outside the screened room area. Thesupporting frame can be of relatively slender construction, and byvirtue of its arrangement and construction it is autonomously stable. Itimportant that the supporting frame is matched to the floor area contourof the machine or at least substantially follows the contour thereof,and that both functions are thereby reliably performed. The clean roomis only just as large as necessary, and can therefore be operated in anenergy-saving manner.

The short distance to the floor area contour of the machines isadvantageous for the machine protection function, i.e. for soundinsulation, protection from spray, protection from damage and the like.

The machine protection device also performs a dual function if it isonly matched to the floor area contour of the machine as a screen for aclean room area without integration in the machine, and if it isdesigned in an adaptable modular mode of construction. The framelesssafety glass panes permit stable integration of the panes in thesupporting frame. This is also important with regard to maintainingcleanliness, which due to the elimination of an integrated machineprotection device is more crucial than is a room screening function of amachine or installation which already comprises an integrated machineprotection device.

A single, frameless safety glass pane is advantageously fixedly anchoredfor each non-opening area, and one or two safety glass panes areadvantageously anchored so that they can swivel for each opening area,in order to make the requisite access possible in a convenient manner,or even to form a lock or the like, if necessary.

Open gaps should be present between adjacent vertical pane edges inorder to permit a defined, limited exchange of air with an outwarddirection of flow, and to permit simple, effective cleaning of the paneedges also. Furthermore, manufacturing tolerances, individual movementsof the areas, and dimensional changes due to thermal effects can becompensated for in the gaps without problems.

The stability of the supporting frame is improved by strip-like sheetmetal screens between the vertical pillars above the safety glass panes.Moreover, the sheet metal screens can conveniently be employed assupports for additional fittings. Sheet metal screens which consist ofrust-proof stainless steel are easy to keep clean, and contribute to apleasing visual impression. Furthermore, a screen reduces the requisiteheight of the safety glass panes.

The height-adjustable standing feet on the vertical pillars enable thesupporting frame to be adjusted accurately. The outward offset of thestanding feet is advantageous with regard to the cleanliness of theouter edge of the clean room area. The lower pane edges form drip-offedges from which contaminants fall on to the standing foot withoutcontaminating the stands.

Moreover, due to the offset of the standing feet, the drip-off regioncan easily be kept clean.

Lower transverse struts are also advantageous between the verticalpillars in areas which comprise fixedly anchored panes, in order toincrease the stability and intrinsic rigidity of the supporting frame.

Operationally reliable pane edge clamping fittings and pane edge contactsupports hold the fixedly anchored safety glass panes and areadvantageous with regard to maintaining cleanliness.

The safety glass panes which can be swivelled are anchored by rotaryclamping fittings which also fit positively into the panes. Thesefittings can also easily be cleaned on the inside of the clean roomarea.

Internal and/or external mountings for additional upper fitting partscan be provided on the screens between the vertical pillars.

It is advantageous if sheet metal panels with corresponding openings areincorporated in the supporting frame in regions in which passageways arerequired from the outside into the clean room area or from the inside tothe outside.

Even though the supporting frame is autonomously stable and performs itsmachine protection function and clean room function without any directconnection to the machine, it may be advantageous in some situations toprovide spacers between the vertical pillars and the machine.

With regard to effective cleaning, stable positioning and ease ofinstallation of the panes, the contact supports should comprise only onepin, as well as inner and outer holding brackets which each act inwardsfrom the edge of a pane.

The requisite stability of the supporting frame is achieved by means ofareas which are at least substantially at right angles to each other, incooperation with the transverse connections between the verticalpillars, wherein a plurality of rectilinearly aligned areas can beprovided between the angles in each case. Identical or different areawidths are advantageous in order to adapt each supporting frame to thefloor area contour of the machine or to the working areas which arenecessary for working on the machine. The supporting frame canoptionally be cut to size, converted or modified in the manner of aconstruction kit to suit the installation concerned. It is assembledlike a construction kit from only a few individual parts which can befreely combined with each other according to choice.

The safety glass panes are advantageously exposed at a distance in frontof the inner faces of the vertical pillars, in what is an unsupportedmanner, so as not only to be able to clean the safety glass panesthoroughly on the inside, but also to avoid particular zones which aresusceptible to contamination in the clean room area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of embodiments of the subject matter of the invention areexplained below with reference to the drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a treatment or manufacturinginstallation in a working area, which comprises a machine protectiondevice which performs a dual function;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an area of the machine protection devicecomprising fixedly anchored safety glass panes;

FIG. 3 is a section along plane III—III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows part of an area comprising safety glass panes which can beswivelled, as a view of the machine protection device from the inside;

FIG. 5 is a section along plane V—V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the treatment or manufacturinginstallation in a working area;

FIG. 7 is a front view of an area of another embodiment of the machineprotection device comprising fixedly anchored safety glass panes; and

FIG. 8 is view X as indicated in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a treatment or manufacturing installation, which issurrounded at least on a plurality of sides by a supporting frame T, ina working area, which comprises a machine B which has at least one workstation, where only the basic machine components are shown for the sakeof simplicity. The supporting frame T, which comprises a plurality ofareas D, stands with its vertical pillars C on a floor area 1 and ismatched to the floor area contour of the machine B at a distancetherefrom. In the embodiment illustrated, what are substantially rightangles H are formed between the rectilinearly aligned areas D, of whichthere may be a plurality depending on the particular situation. Thevertical pillars C are additionally connected to each other viatransverse connections Q, wherein a continuous strip-like screen 2, e.g.one made of stainless steel sheet, is attached to the vertical pillars Cat the top and forms the upper boundary of the supporting frame T. Thesupporting frame T advantageously ends freely above the height of theworkstations provided in the machine B. Panes E are provided in areas D,and in the embodiment shown these panes are two types of framelesssafety glass panes G1, G2. Safety glass panes G1 are fixedly anchored tosupporting pillars C. In contrast, safety glass panes G2 are anchored sothat they can swivel, wherein either a single swiveling safety glasspane G2 forms a door and fills an area D, or two safety glass panes G2which can swivel in opposite directions jointly fill area D. In onepossible variant, which is not shown, a fixedly anchored safety glasspane G1 is provided together with a swiveling, anchored safety glasspane G2 in an area D. In areas D which comprise fixedly anchored safetyglass panes G1, additional lower transverse supports 3 areadvantageously provided between vertical pillars C and/or between avertical pillar C and a vertical corner fitting section 4. The lowerpane edges 5 are situated at a distance X above the floor area 1, andform free drip-off edges.

The supporting frame T is autonomously stable, firstly due to the anglesH and secondly due to the transverse connections Q (the screen 2 and thetransverse struts 3).

If an inlet or outlet passage is required in an area D, as indicated fora feeder or an outlet device 6 for example, a stainless steel sheetpanel E1 is then anchored there instead of a safety glass pane.

The supporting frame T with the safety glass panes G1, G2 forms acombined machine protection device and clean room screen VR for themachine B, or for an installation comprising a plurality of machines B,inside the supporting frame T. The supporting frame T can be closed orcan be fitted to a wall inside the working area.

Clean room air-conditioning fittings, which are not shown in FIG. 1, canbe disposed on the screen 2, for example, and can close off the cleanroom screen VR at the top in the manner of a ceiling. Purified air canalso be introduced, or waste air can be discharged, below the pane edges5.

Three mutually adjoining areas D comprising fixedly anchored safetyglass panes G1 are shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each two safetyglass panes G1 which abut each other with their vertical pane edges 12are anchored to the vertical pillars C by clamping fittings 7 so that anarrow gap 18 remains. The lower pane edges 5 are seated in pane edgecontact supports 8 on the vertical pillars C. Each pane edge contactsupport 8 has a stop pin 9 which extends transversely to the pane edgeand from which small inner and outer holding brackets 10 extend, whichfit over the sides of the panes from the pane edge. In this manner, thesafety glass panes G1 are positioned at a distance from the inner facesof the vertical pillars C which face the machine B.

Each vertical pillar C has a height-adjustable standing foot 11 which isoffset to the front in relation to the longitudinal axis of the verticalpillar C, so that the drip-off region under the pane edges 5 remainsfree on the floor area 1.

With this type of anchoring of the safety glass panes G, the inner facesJ are freely accessible as far as the pane edges 12, 5, and due to thegaps which are provided the pane edges 12, 5 are also freely accessible,apart from the clamping fittings 7 and contact supports 8, which do notdefine any points which are appreciably susceptible to soiling, however.

The transverse struts 3 are fixed to the vertical pillars C by flanges13. At the top ends of the vertical pillars C, the screen 2 is fixed tothe adjacent pane edge 12 with a small gap, and ends with a smalldrip-off lug 2 in its lower edge region. Mountings 14 for otherfittings, e.g. ducts 15 for cables, tubing and the like, are provided onthe screen 2, as is a disinfectant spraying device 16, the sprayingdirection of which is oriented obliquely downwards in relation to thesafety glass panes G1, G2.

The transition from an area D with a fixedly anchored safety glass paneG1 to an area with two safety glass panes G2 which are anchored so thatthey can swivel is shown as a front view and as a sectional view inFIGS. 4 and 5. Since it is only the right-hand vertical pane edge 12 ofthe safety glass pane G1 which has to be fixed here to the verticalpillar C, a contact support 8 comprising horizontal holding brackets 10and a stop pin 9 is provided here instead of at least one doubleclamping fitting 7 in each case. A wider gap 18 is left here between thefixedly anchored safety glass pane G1 and the swivel-anchored safetyglass pane G2. The safety glass pane G2 is anchored to the verticalpillar C, at at least two points situated one above the other, byclamping fittings 7′ and via hinge fittings 20. The clamping fittings 7′have pins 19 which are inserted in holes in the safety glass pane G2which are not shown. The second swivel-anchored safety glass pane G2,which is similarly anchored to the following vertical pillar C, is alsoprovided in this area. The two safety glass panes G2 are situated withtheir vertical pane edges facing each other with the formation of anarrow gap 18. Handles 21 serve for opening and closing the safety glasspanes G2. Moreover, actuators 22 for electric door switches 23 areprovided on the swivelling safety glass panes G2. The door switches 23themselves are mounted on the outside of the screen 2, and are employed,for example, for correspondingly controlling display or safety devices.Furthermore, in FIG. 5 a housing 28 for electrical fitting components isprovided in the screen 2, facing the outside thereof; said housing canalso extend over the entire height of the vertical pillars C and canreplace a glass plane G1, G2 or a sheet metal panel E1.

FIG. 6 shows a combined machine protection device and clean room screenVR, the supporting frame T of which is matched, with an intermediategap, to the floor area contour of the installation, which consists of aplurality of machines S, R, F, V1, V2. Depending on the requirements,fixedly anchored or swivel-anchored safety glass panes G1, G2 areprovided in the areas defined by the vertical pillars C. In regionswhich necessitate access, for a feed line and an outlet line, forexample, sheet metal panels E1 are inserted in the corresponding areasD. As is indicated in principle by the swivelling regions shown asdashed lines, there is a plurality of possible entrances to the interiorof the clean room area. An externally and internally separated chamber24 is defined within the course of the supporting frame T by areas whichare correspondingly disposed in a rectangle. This chamber can be enteredwithout reaching the installation directly, but there are also variousoptions for proceeding further from the chamber in order to arrivedirectly at the installation. Accordingly, a plurality ofswivel-anchored safety glass panes G2 is disposed there. Moreover, alock 25 is incorporated in the supporting frame T, via which access toother machines of the installation is possible. Reference numeral 26denotes a spacer between a vertical pillar C and a machine table ormachine.

The installation which is accommodated in the clean room area in FIG. 6may be a beverage bottle treatment installation for sterile filling, forexample. Empty bottles enter the clean room area via the feeder Z.Product lines are also run into the clean room area there. Machine S isa steriliser for sterilising the bottles. The bottles are transferred tothe steriliser by a corresponding feeder star (indicated as circles).Machine R is a rinser which rinses the bottles. Machine F is a filler Fwhich introduces the product before the bottles are subsequently closedby a closer V1 or V2 and are conveyed away via the outlet A.

The machine protection device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 differs from themachine protection device shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 in that here both therigid glass panes G1 and the swivelling glass panes G2 are disposed onthe sides of the vertical pillars C and are therefore situated betweentwo adjacent vertical pillars C. Accordingly, the gaps 18 are formedhere between the vertical pane edge 12 and the adjacent outer face ofthe respective vertical pillar C. This form of construction is also easyto clean and is therefore very suitable for screening a clean room.

As shown in FIG. 8, sheet metal angles 30, to which the rigid glasspanes G1 are fixed by means of clamping fittings, are fixed to the sidesof the vertical pillars C. Hinge fittings 20, to which the swivellingglass panes G2 are fixed by means of clamping fittings 7, arecorrespondingly fixed to the sides of the vertical pillars C.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the transverse connections Qare formed by tubular sections 31 which are fixed to the undersides ofthe vertical pillars C.

1. A treatment or manufacturing installation in a working area as a machine protection device for a machine having at least one workstation which is fixedly disposed on a floor area, comprising: panes which cover at least the workstation, a supporting frame for the panes having frame areas which comprises vertical pillars, the supporting frame (T) standing with the vertical pillars (C) on the floor area (1) and matched to the contour of the machine (B) on the floor area, in an autonomously stable manner, with an angle (H) between adjacent frame areas (D) and transverse connections (2) between the vertical pillars (C), with an immediate spacing to the floor area contour of the machine (B), and the panes (E) being frameless safety glass panes (G1, G2), with each pane anchored at a distance (X) above the floor area (1) to at least one of the vertical pillars (C), and the inner faces (J) of the panes (E) which face the machine (B) being freely accessible from the machine (B) side as far as the pane edges (5, 12).
 2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein for each frame area (D) a frameless safety glass pane (G1) which is continuous in a transverse and vertical direction is fixedly anchored.
 3. An installation according to claim 1, wherein open gaps (18) are provided between adjacent vertical pane edges (12).
 4. An installation according to claim 1, and strip-like sheet metal screens (2) join the vertical pillars as the transverse connections (Q) above the panes on the inner faces of the vertical pillars (C).
 5. An installation according to claim 4, wherein one of internal and external mountings (14, 15) are provided on the screens (2).
 6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein the mountings are adapted to fit one of cables, leads, tubing, fluid outflow devices, and electrical components.
 7. An installation according to claim 1, wherein each vertical pillar (C) has a height-adjustable standing foot (11) which is outwardly offset in relation to the longitudinal axis of the vertical pillar, beyond the front face of the vertical pillar.
 8. An installation according to claim 1, wherein lower transverse struts (3) are inserted between the vertical pillars (C) in frame areas (D) which comprise fixedly anchored panes.
 9. An installation according to claim 1, wherein pane edge clamping fittings (7) and pane edge contact supports (8) are provided on the vertical pillars (C) in frame areas (D) which comprise fixedly anchored safety glass panes (G1).
 10. An installation according to claim 9, wherein the pane edge contact supports (B) each comprise a pin (9) which is oriented transversely to the plane of the pane, and internal and external holding brackets (10) which act inwardly from the pane edge (5, 12).
 11. An installation according to claim 1, and areas comprising a passageway for inflow or outflow devices (Z, A) are provided in the supporting frame (T), and that at least one sheet metal panel (E1) is anchored to the vertical pillars (C) in the region of the passageway.
 12. An installation according to claim 1, wherein spacers (27) are provided between individual vertical pillars (C) and the machine (B).
 13. An installation according to claim 1, wherein the supporting frame (T) is constructed in a modular form of construction with areas (D) of one of variable or identical area widths which are one of substantially at right angles (H) to each other or which are rectilinearly aligned with each other.
 14. An installation according to claim 1, wherein the safety glass panes (G1, G2) are disposed at a distance in front of the inner faces of the vertical pillars (C).
 15. An installation according to claim 1, wherein the machine is one of a beverage bottle treatment machine or a beverage bottle manufacturing machine.
 16. An installation according to claim 1, and wherein the machine protection device provides a clean room boundary about the machine having a workstation.
 17. An installation according to claim 1, wherein for each frame area (D) one of one or two frameless safety glass panes (G2) are continuous in a vertical direction and anchored so as to swivel.
 18. An installation according to claim 17, and rotary clamping fittings (7′) comprising retaining pins (19) which pass through holes in the panes are provided on the vertical pillars (C) in frame areas (D) which comprise a swiveling safety glass panes (G1).
 19. A machine protection device comprising a supporting frame having transparent panes and vertical pillars, the panes being frameless safety glass panes (G1, G2) and one of anchored fixedly or anchored so that they can swivel relative to the vertical pillars (C), the vertical pillars standing directly on the floor area (1) separate from the machine (B), the panes being at a distance behind the vertical pillars and at a distance above the floor area (1), the supporting frame being free at the top and autonomously stable due to angles (H) and transverse connections (Q) formed in the course between frame areas (D), and the inner faces (J) of the safety glass panes (G1, G2) which face the machine (B) being freely accessible as far as the pane edges (12, 15).
 20. A machine protection device according to claim 19 wherein the supporting frame (T) and safety glass panes (G1, G2) are formed to define a clean room boundary about the machine (B). 